The invention resides in a water jet massaging apparatus with a patient support sheet supporting element.
Water jet massaging apparatus include a tub which is covered at its top by a flexible support sheet or foil forming a resting surface for a patient. In the interior of the tub, there is at least one nozzle mechanism with a nozzle to which pressurized water is supplied by a pump for directing a massaging water jet toward the bottom side of the patient support sheet for dry water jet massaging of a patient laying on the patient support surface.
The patient support sheet needs to be a relatively thin flexible and also elastic foil via which the effects of the water jet can be transferred to the body of the patient laying on the support surface effectively in a mostly undamped manner. Flexibility and elasticity of the foil forming the patient support surface is very important to permit adaptation of the foil to the body shape of the patient in such a way that no spaces are formed between the support sheet or foil and the body surface of the patient which would detrimentally affect the massaging effect of the massaging water jet on the body of the patient.
This required flexibility and elasticity of the patient support foil however has the disadvantage that, with localized loading, particularly in the center area of the tub, the support foil is pressed quite deeply into the interior of the tub. This occurs for example when a patient, in the process of laying down onto the support foil, first sits onto the foil or when the patient first sits up when getting off the support foil. At those occasions, the patient is sitting about in the center area of the support foil whereby the center of the support foil is pressed down locally quite deeply into the tub.
As a result, the nozzle mechanism disposed in the tub below the support foil may easily be damaged.
In the commonly used water jet massaging apparatus, the nozzle mechanism comprises a nozzle carrier arrangement including at least one nozzle carriage which is provided with at least one nozzle and generally is supported in the tub so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the tub. The nozzle again is often movably supported on the carriage so as to permit sideward movement or sideward pivoting of the nozzle so that the water jet cannot only be moved along the center of the tub but also in the transverse direction. It is possible that a patient sits up while the treatment is not yet completed that is while the nozzle carriage is still moving which may cause damage to nozzle arrangement in particular the nozzle operating mechanism when located in the area below the patient sitting on the support foil. In this case, the movement of the nozzle carriage may be blocked by the load of the patient which may result in damage to the carriage drive mechanism. Also, the nozzle support structure on the nozzle carriage as well as the carriage itself may be damaged resulting in expensive repairs and out-of-service times for the apparatus.
It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a massaging apparatus design wherein the chances of damaging the water jet massaging arrangement by a patient are essentially eliminated.